Fuel feed system



C. H; BRASELTON ET AL FUEL FEED SYSTEM July 12, 1932. h iginal FiledJurie 6; 1922 Re. 18518 ATTORNEY Reissuecl July 12, 1932 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CHESTER H. BRASELTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND FRED 1B.MACLARE'N, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT; SAID MACLAREN ASSIGNOR T SAIDBRASELTON FUEL FEED SYSTEM Original No. 1,715,638, dated June 4, 1929,Serial No.

filed. August 21, 1931.

v This invention relates to improvements in fluid pumping apparatus inwhich the vibration of a moving vehicle is asource of power to operatethe pump, and more par- Bi ticularly to means for supplying gasoline tothe carburetor of an automobile engine at a level somewhat above that ofthe carburetor float when the main fuel tank is located below the levelof the carburetor float.

The principal object of this invention is to increase the efliciency ofthe pump by eliminating friction and binding from the plunger action. Afurther object of the invention is to provide simple and effective L 11controlling means operated by the height of liquid in the reserve tank.A still further object of the invention is the provision of means forsupporting the heavy inertia element against horizontal forces. Otherob: jects of the invention will appear from the description of theapparatus.

The invention consists in the several novel features set forth in thefollowing description and more particularly defined by the claims at theconclusion thereof.

The invention is illustrated somewhat diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an automobile equipped with our device;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the pump with its enclosing gasolinereservoir.

In Fig. 1 the numeral 1 designates the engine, 2 the carburetor, 3 theradiator, 4 the wheels, 5 the frame, 6 the tank, and 7 the steeringwheel of an automobile. Our combined pump and auxiliary tank isdesignated by the numeral 10, and is shown mounted on the front side ofthe dash-board 8. The pipe 11 connects the tank with the carburetor 2and the pipe 12 connects the main fuel tank 6 with the auxiliary tank10.

In Fig. 2 the numeral 13 represents the body of the tank, 14 the pumpcylinder, 15 the pump plunger, 16 the inertia weight, 17 the spring, 18the suction valve, and 19 the discharge valve. The double flanged ring20 is soldered to the top of the pump body 13 and to it is fastened thecover 21 by the screws 22, a tight joint being accom- 566,292, filed.Tune 6, 1922. Application for reissue Serial No. 558,605.

plished by the use of the cork gasket 23. A ridge 24 is formed in thering 20 slightly less in height than the thickness of the gasket 23.This ridge is perfectly flat on its upper surface and forms a true seatfor the cover u 21 which cannot be pulled down unevenly by the screws22. This construction allows a gasoline tight joint to be made byslightly compressing the cork gasket without the danger of seating thecover 21 out of alignment.

The flange 25 is formed on the cover and fits over the outer flange onthe ring 20 to aid in centering it.

A pierced boss 26 is formed in the top of cover 21 to act as a guide andbearing for the handle 27. which is screwed into the weight 16. Theflanged ring 28 is soldered or otherwise fastened securely to the cover21 and forms a guide or upper support for the pump cylinder 14. A smallhole 29 is drilled in the ring 28 just above the point at which the pumpcylinder 14 ends. A plug 30 is screwed into the pump cylinder 14 to forman upper cylinder head and it has a small hole 31 drilled through it toact as an air vent. Pin 32 connects the weight 16 and the plunger 15 andpasses through the pump cylinder walls at the slots 33. A boss 34 isformed in the side of the tank body 13 for the purpose of facilitatingthe assembly of the pump plunger 15, weight 16 and pin 32. This piercedboss is closed after assembly by the plug 35. The spring '17 supportsthe weight 16 at its upper end and is supported by the bottom cover 36.This cover is soldered to the tank body 13 to make a gasoline tight jont and is provided with a cylindrical flange 37 to support andaccurately position the pump cylinder 14. This bottom cover is providedwith boss 38 in which is soldered a tapped plug 39. The tapped hole inthe plug 39 is filled with the pipe plug 40 which is removable for thedrainage of water'and the flushing out ofsediment. The cover is providedwith another boss '41 in which is soldered the tapped plug 42 adapted toreceive the carburetor feed pipe 11.

The valve retainer 43 is soldered in the bottom of the pump cylinder 14and has the suc- 1 tion inlet hole 44 drilled out of alignment withvalve seat. The valve seat 45 is threaded into the valve retainer 43 andsupports the ball valve 46. This valve seat 45 is tapped at its lower,endto receive themain fuel supply pipe 12. The pump :plunger 15 hasa-valve chamber 4'7 formed in it at the bottom which is closed by thevalve seat 48 upon which rests the delivery' ball valve 49. The deliverypassage 50 connects with the-ball'chamber 47 and the inside of tank body13 by the slot 51. The ball 49 opens and closes passage through the hole52 in the valve seat 48. The ball valve 46 opens and closes passagethrough the hole 53 in the valve seat 45.

VWhen the automobilermoves over the ordinary road, the wheels '4;passingover small irregularities, such as bumps-or hollows, tend tofollow theexact contour of the road. This is-especially true when the speed ofthecar is low; and the ratio of the weight carried above the springs tothat of the weight of axles and wheels, or weightcarried below-thesprings,.is large. Thatpartof the car mass carried above 'the .springsis :set into vibration whenever the wheels 4 pass over rough spotsintheroad. The period of these vibrations depends mostlyon thedeflectionof the springs.

In our pumping mechanism the pump plunger 15, with its attached weight16 is mounted onthe-spring .17,'so aslto form :a vibratingcombination.If the'bottom cover 36 is forcibly vibratingby any means it will tend toset .invibration, through the spring, the' pump plunger 15. Inthis caseit is desirable that the periodicity :of-the plunger, weight and spring-Sh0llldib6-.l1ll10h lessthan that 'of the forcibly applied vibration ofthe cover 36. For if the frequency :of vibration of the plunger, weightand spring was higher thanthat of the forced vibration-of thecover136;;therie would be little relative movement betWeen-t-heplunger andthe pump cylinder, 'while, on the contrary, if'the frequency ofrvibrationof the pump :plunger, weight and spring is less than that ofthe forced vibrations of the .cover '36, -a large relative motion of the.plunger .15 and the cylinder 14 will result. Inpr-acticegthe frequency{of the vibration of the pump body mounted on'the front ofthe dash-boardwill vary between 150:and' 250-vibrations-per minute. Thenaturalperiodo'f vibration of the moving elements of;our.pumpshouldnot-be much 1higher than the above values for .eflicientoperation. 7

' When the car moves over the road and-the wheels ameet' a small bumpthe springs are bentanda forceisapplied to'the car body, causing it Itor rise slightly, carrying with it the tank body 13 and its attachedbottom cover 36. The weight 1.6,-beingresiliently mounted on the .spring17,-does not move with the. bottom 3 plate '36, but only tends :to

move by the additional pressure of the spring 17 when it has beencompressed by the relative motion between the cover 36 and the weight16. Because of the large weight of the element 16, its motion will lagbehind that of the car, and the space between the valve retainer 43 andthe plunger 15 will be diminished, causing the fluid which occupied thisspace to push the ball valve 49 off its seat and flow upward through thevalve chamber 47, passage 50 and slot 51, to the interior of the tankbody 13. When the wheels have passed over the obstruction,

the body of the car, and with it the bottom willbe enlarged anda vacuumproduced,

which will be filled by the atmospheric pressure forcing :the gasolinein the tank 6 through; the pipe 12, raising the ball..46 off its seatand flowing intothepump through the passage 44. The aboveoutlined'action will be repeated for every-bump or depression in theroad, andsuflicient gasoline will bepuniped to keep-thetank 13alwaysfilled and a supply at higher level than the'carburetor, isassured.

When the gasolinein the tank 13 reaches the level-of the small hole54,.it flows through and fillsthechamber formed betweenthe-top of theplunger 15 and the plug 30. Subsequent motion of the pump drives'theairout through the small hole 31 and completely fills the chamber withgasoline. Then -on every'stroke of the pump, gasoline will be forced in'andout of the holes 54 and 31, and as the resistance to the flow ofgasoline through these holes is much greater than that of air therelative motion of the plunger15 and .thecylinder 14 will be dampenedandsubstantially stopped until the level of gasoline in:the tank 13 islowered by the suction of.the-carburetor-and air instead of gasoline is,drawn in and out through the holes 54 and31. Then the dampening isgreatly reducedand full pump-ing is resumed. :In practice the gasolinelevel in thetank will besuoh that airandgasoline will be drawntogetherthrough thehole54, or the level will oscillate above andbelow that'ofthehole 54 so that dampening and freeing of the pump action will followeach other in rapid succession. Extraordinary demands for gasoline willbe met by the reserve L supply 1 in the tank which WllLHOIIIl allyamount to a quart ormore.

The handle "27 is supplied for use'in par-- tially .filling the ;tank iffor any reason -;it

should become drained, as by running the engine idle without the car inmotion, or if the supply of fuel has become exhausted.

The pump cylinder 14 is supported at the top by the flanged ring 28attached to the cover 21. We find this support. to be advantageous inreducing the tendency of the cylinder to bend when horizontal forces areapplied to the weight 16. Such forces tend to act when the car rounds acurve quickly, or when bumps at one side only of the road areencountered; or on the two sides acting alternately and tending to causea side sway of the car. Weight 16, because of its large inertia tends toremain fixed in space and resists this side motion and therefore tendsto bend or displace the pump cylinder 14. The support 28, being appliedclose to the center gravity of the inertia element, effectively preventsdistortion or side motion of the pump cylinder. It has been found thatbut very little friction is necessary toretard the action of the pumpand reduce its efficiency, therefore, a longbearing of the plunger inthe cylinder is used, as by this means, the fit of the plunger in thecylinder can be made quite loose, with subsequent reduction in frictionand without danger of excessive leakage.

The invention is a modification of our co pending applications entitledInertia pumps, Serial No. 532,718 filed January 30, 1922, and Vibrationoperated pumping mechanism, Serial No. 533,493, filed February l, 1922,and our Patent No. 1,735,449 of November 12, 1929.

What we claim is:

1. In a fuel feed system, the combination of a tank; a pump within saidtank, said pump comprising a cylinder, and a plunger movable within thecylinder; and means secured within the cylinder for damping the movementof said plunger.

2. In a fuel feed system, the combination of a casing adapted to requirea supply of liquid and having an inlet aperture; a pump positionedwithin said casing and in connection with said aperture; said pumpcomprising a cylinder, a plunger movable within the cylinder, an inletvalve adjacent said inlet aperture, and an outlet valve positionedwithin said plunger; a conduit from the outlet valve to the interior ofthe casing; a weighted cylinder attached to the plunger; resilient meanstending tomaintain yieldingly the plunger and weighted cylinder in a setposition, and means positioned in said pump cylinder in the end oppositethe inlet aperture for damping the movement of the plunger when theliquid has reached a predetermined level in the tank.

3. In an automobile vehicle having a power plant including a chargeforming device, the combination, with a fuel supply tank, of a mechanismfor pumping liquid fuel from said tank for the charge forming deviceoperated by a variable vibration of relatively movable elements due toinertia; and means for modifying the action of said pumping mechanism tocontrol the pressure at which the liquid fuel is fed to the chargeforming device, including a chamber cooperating with said pumpingmechanism and having a restricted outlet and into which a portion of theliquid fuel passes.

4. In a fuel supply system for internal combustion engines, thecombination of a main supply tank; a secondary tank connected with saidmain tank; an inertia-operaated pumping mechanism for pumping liquidfuel from the main tank to the secondary tank; and means for controllingthe volume of liquid in said secondary tank, said means including achamber in which an element moving with a movable part of'said pumpingmechanism works and into which the liquid flows when the liquid in saidsecondary tank reaches a predetermined volume, and means to restrict theflow of liquid out of said chamber.

5. In a fuel supply system for internal combustion engines, a pumpingmechanism, including a movable pumping member for feeding liquid fuelfrom a supply tank; and means, controlling the pressure at which saidliquid fuel is fed by the system to the engine, including a chamber inwhich said pumping member moves, said chamber having a restricted outletand being arranged to receive a portion of the liquid pumped by saidmechanism, when the pressure at which the liquid fuel'is fed to theengine exceeds a predetermined li'mit.

6. A device of the class describ ed-comprising a receiving tank; a pumpoperated by inertia and discharging into said tank; and

means independent of the pump chamber and automatically controlled bythe level of the liquid in said tank, for providing a resistance to theoperation of said pump.

7. A device of the class described comprising a receiving tank; a pumpdischarging into said tank and includlng a plston assembly operated byinertia; and means independent of the pump chamber and automaticallycontrolled by the level of the liquid in said tank, for interposing aportion of the liquid in said tank in the path of said piston assemblyto dampen the stroke thereof.

8. A device of the class described comprising a receiving tank; a pumpoperated by inertia and discharging into said tank; and

means independent of the pump chamber and controlled by the level of theliquid in said tank, for creating a liquid buffer opposing movement ofsaid pump.

9. A device of the class described comprisinga receiving tank; a pumpdischarginginto said tank and includlng a piston operated by inertia;means for opposing movement of the piston including a chamber, having anair vent, in which a part moving with said piston works; and meansforadinitting liquid fromthe tank into said chamber, when the liquidreaches a predetermined level in saidv tank, to form a liquid butter forsaid piston. I

10. A device of the class described comprising a receiving tank; a pumpdischarging into said tank and including a reciprocating piston; meansfor controlling the operation of said piston including a chamber inwhich a part moving with said piston works; and means for admittingliquid to said chamber, when the liquid reaches a predetermined level inthe tank, to create a liquid buffer opposing movement of said piston.

11. A device of the class described comprising a receiving tank; a pumpdischarging into said tank and including a reciprocating piston; meansfor controlling the operation of said piston including a chamber inwhich a,

part moving with the piston works and a port connecting said chamberwith the interior of the tank; whereby, when the liquid in said tankreaches a predetermined level, it enters said chamber creating aliquidbufler opposing movement of the piston. V

12. In a fuel supply system for automotive vehicles, the combination ofa receiving tank mounted on the vehicle; a pump discharging into saidtank and operated automatically by the vibrations normally inherent. inthe automotive vehicle when in operation, said chamber at one end ofsaid cylinder; and

means for damping movement of saidplunger at the other endof thecylinder; said plunger damping means including a chamber cooperatingwith said plunger and having apertures formed therein. 7- I y 16." In afuel feed system, the combination of a low level main tank; a high levelauxiliary tank; a reciprocating pump positionedwithin. saidauxiliarytank whereby liquid is.

in the tank has reached a predetermined level. a

CHESTER BRA'sELTON.)

" FREDQBQ MAoLAREN.

pump including a piston; means to control the movement of said pistonincluding'a chamber in which a part moving with'the piston works; andmeans for admitting liquid to said chamber, when the liquid reaches apredetermined level in said tank, to create a liquid bufi'er opposingmovement of the piston.

13. A device of the class described comprising a receiving-tank; apumpdischarging-into said tank and including a pump chamber and aresiliently supported piston reciprocating in said chamber;piston'controlling means including a buffer chamber in which said pistonalso recipro'cates; and a port connecting said bufi'er chamber with theinterior of said tank, whereby when the liquid reaches 'apredeterminedlevel in the tank, it enters said bufii'er chamber creating a liquidbufl'er opposing til) movement of the piston.

. 14. In pumping mechanism, the combination of a tank; avibrationoperated pump within the tank, said pump comprising a cylinder; a pistonmovable within said cylinder; a weighted member attached to the piston;and means for dampening the movement of the piston including a cylinderand a piston operatively connected with the pump piston whereby movementof said pump piston causes corresponding movement of the dampeningpiston.

15. In a fuel feed system, the combination of a casing; a cylinderwithin the casing; a plunger movable within the casing; a pump

